Integral shelf



Sept; 1961 v. M. GIFFORD 3,000,515

INTEGRAL SHELF Filed May 4, 1960 INVENTOR. l3 T VANCE M. GIFFORD ATTORNEY.

3,000,515 INTEGRAL SHELF fornia Filed May 4, 1960, Ser. No. 26,890 3 Claims. (Cl. 211--153) This invention relates to an improved shelf unit and, more particularly, it relates to a substantially flat preformed shelf unit which can be shipped or stored in its flat form and then conveniently bent into its final shape at the time and place of installation.

Facilities for the orderly storage and display of goods and merchandise, and especially of books, magazines, newspapers and the like, such as in libraries and bookstores, usually involves the use of many shelves. These shelves preferably are quick and easy to install and remove, and their position readily adjustable to compensate for differences in sizes of stored items. Some such shelves are expansible, others are of fixed dimensions.

One of the most popular shelf devices for use as library book-stacks and the like comprises a shelf whose, ends are mounted on a pair of slotted vertical channelsupports by means of a pair of brackets which double as end-pieces for the shelf. The brackets usually are linked to the shelf by screws, bolts, or inter-connecting hooks and flanges of one kind or another, and these brackets have spaced hooks or other such projections on their rear edges to engage the slots in the channel-supports.

However convenient and practical this type of shelf has been, it has substantial disadvantages. For one thing,

the manufacturing costs are considerable, in view of the fact that many parts are involved. Another problem is that the bolts and screws used in fastening the ends ections to the shelf itself are easily lost or misplaced, both in shipment and often during installation. Where interconnecting hooks or flanges are used, they increase manufacturing costs and are very susceptive to bending out of line or even breaking off. Another disadvantagewith these multiple-part shelf units is that, in shipping, all parts of the unit must be counted, sorted, and packaged, and special care must be taken to include rightand left-hand members. This problem is also avoided by the present invention and packaging may be accomplished in one simple operation, since no extra parts must be accounted for separately, one result being a substantial saving in shipping weight.

' Other shelves well-known in the art have end supportbrackets fixedly attached as by welding or riveting to the shelf itself in the ultimate support position so that the unit may be installed without need for prior assembly. However, since these units are fabricated at the factory into their final shape, they have a big disadvantage in that they require an extra-large container for boxing and shipping, thereby incurring higher transportation and handling costs than a flat shelf embodying the principles of the present invention. Also, factory formation of these shelves into their ultimate configurations, such as by stamping or pressing, involves an additional manufacturing expense.

An important object of this invention, therefore, is the provision of an integral, complete shelf-end bracket unit which is manufactured, shipped and stored in a'substantially flat condition.

Another object of this invention is to provide an integral shelf and end-bracket combination which can be bent easily by hand and installed as a separate wall shelf or as one of many similar units in library book-stack arrangements and the like.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a ted States atent Patented Sept. 19, 1961 2 substantially flat, one-piece storage unit comprising a shelf and two integral end-supporting brackets, which is formed into its ultimate shape at the time of installation.

Yet another object of this invention is the elimination of needless, excessive storage and shipping area and expense encountered in manufacture and sale of shelf-end bracket storage units.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the shelf unit as it is stored and shipped;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view in perspective of one end of the unit, illustrating how the end-bracket is bent by hand to an upstanding position relative to the shelf section;

FIG. 3 is a top view in perspective of the finished shelf-end bracket assembly, ready for installation, showing one method of installation on the right end;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view in section taken along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 3, showing a channel mounting device and a similar adjoining abutting shelf as it would appear in a library book-stack installation; and

FIG. 5 is a front elevation in section taken along the lines 5-5 of FIG. 1.

As illustrated in the drawings, particularly in FIG. 1, a typical shelf unit of the present invention comprises a relatively long, narrow, flat central shelf 10 and two end-supporting'brackets 11, 12 integral therewith. This unit is "formed from one sheet of bendable material, such as metal. The brackets 11, 12 are linked to the shelf 10 along perforated line sections formed by spaced perforations 13 running transversely of the length of the unit. These perforations enable the end-supporting brackets to be bent up from their original coplanar posi-. tion with respect to the shelf 10 (FIG. 2), into an up standing position substantially at right angles to the shelf 10, for installation. This bending operation is done by hand at the time and place of installation, so that device.

is stored and shipped as a flat unit, occupying a minimum of space.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shelf 10 is preferably reinforced along its front side by a some-' what J-shaped edge 14 comprising downward extending flange 15, inward'extending flange 16, and upward extending flange 17. In the same manner, the back side of the shelf 10 is reinforced by edge 18 comprising flanges 19, 20, and 21 extending downwardly, inwardly,

and thence upwardly, respectively. These edges 14, 18 prevent the shelf 10 from bending under a severe load and also give a smooth, finished appearance to the device.

The shelf 10 may be made in any suitable dimensions and, in fact, may be varied to suit the particular installation requirements. It may be of much greater width in relation to its length than illustrated in the drawings,'f or it may be of much narrower design, and still be within the scope of the invention.

The configuration of the edges 14, 18 also may be varied, so long as the necessary strengthening support and finished appearance is imparted to the shelf 10.

The end-supporting brackets 11, 12 preferably are of a width commensurate with the width of the shelf 10, although they may be more narrow or Wider if desired/ To provide asmooth, finished edge to the end-supporting brackets 11, 12' as well as to lend strength thereto, the

front edge 22 and the top edge 23 of these brackets are" formed into a continuous arcuate flange 24, as. clearly illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. However, these sides 22,

23 may be shaped in any other manner, so long as the finished item has the required strength and pleasant appearance.

Brotruding backward from the rear edge of each of these end-supporting brackets, and integral therewith, is a series of evenly spaced, somewhat L-shaped hooks 25 (FIGS. 1, 2, and 3). These hooks serve to attach the shelf to its foundation in a variety of ways. For instance, as illustrated in FIG. 4, they may: be inserted into the evenly spaced, vertical slots 26 of a vertically disposed, channel-shaped mounting-bracket 27 commonly used in the art for suspending shelves and brackets. The mounting channel bracket 27 may be installed on a wall or other upright surface, depending upon where or how the shelf is to be used. When the shelves 10 are used in a typical library-stack arrangement, mounting channels 27 are placed in an abutting parallel relationship, as shown by the adjoining shelf 10a and channel 27a in FIG. 4. In attaching the shelf 10 to the channel-mounting bracket 27, a lower tab 28 projects back from the bottom rear corner of each end-supporting bracket 11, 12 to coincide with one of the slots 26 in the bracket 27, cooperating with the hooks 25 to securely anchor the shelf 10 in place. This tab 28 may be as illustrated, or may be shaped as another hook 25, depending upon the particular type of installation desired.

As well as being ideally suited for installation on the bracket 27, the shelf 10 also may be installed between wooden uprights, such as wall studding 29 as illustrated on the right end of the shelf shown in FIG. 3. Nails, screws, or other anchoring devices '30 are anchored in the side of the upright stud 29 and the shelf 10 then is suspended from them through the hooks 25-. The tabs 28 also preferably engage nails, or other similar devices 31 to support the shelf unit in proper level position. The, position of the shelf, of course, can be widely varied quite easily by this installation procedure, and also can be easily installed or removed.

The shelf 10 may be installed by other means, such as between two parallel walls, in lieu of the above-mentioned studs, or upon any suitable type of foundation which will permit the hooks 2 5 and'tab 28 to gain a secure foothold. In fact, it is possible to mount this device on a meshed screen or the like which is firmly anchored to give a secure support.

The dimensions of the end-supporting brackets 11, 12 are not critical, except that they must be large enough to provide adequate support for the shelf 10v and the objects placed thereon. However, the distance D (FIG. 1) from the adjacent perforated-line section of the unit to. the top-edge 23 of the end-supporting brackets 11, 12 must be so related to the thickness T (FIG. 5) of the material from which the unit is constructed, that the endbrackets 11, 12 may easily be bent by hand into their final upright position at the time of installation. If, for instance, T is 7 inch and D is at least 6 inches, the end-brackets 11, 121 may be bent easily by hand into an upright position.

In constructing my device, consideration must be given to the composition of the material so that no fractures thereof will occur during bending, and also that the bending may be accomplished through the use of relatively effort. Mild steel generally fulfills all the requirements for strength, durability, and bendability.

Since the bending force required is dependent largely on the amount of bending metal between slots, once this required amount of metal has been determined, taking into consideration the load on the shelf and the characteristics of the shelf material, the sizes of the slots can be varied for different widths of shelves. For example, I have, found that when using -inch thick mild steel a total of three inches of bending metal distributed between slots provides adequate strength and yet permits easy bending up of the end-brackets on shelves from 8 to 12 inches wide.

As the foregoing illustrates, the invention provides a very simple and effective shelf device with several distinctive advantages. The device may be shipped flat, thereby requiring a bare minimum of cargo space. It may be stored in the same fiat condition, also utilizing an extremely small space. The shelf can be installed easily as part of multi-shelf book stack arrangements or merely as a single shelf on any convenient wall or mounting surface. Installation of the device is quick and easy, requiring no special tools, and there are no small, loose bolts, clips, etc., to become lost or damaged. Once properly installed, the shelf is sturdy and rigid, will not shake or pull loose, and yet can be removed quickly and easily.

To those skilled in the artto which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

I claim:

1. A knockdown and foldable shelf formed from a flat sheet of metal ofuniform thickness and comprising: a main center shelf portion; a pair of supporting brackets integral with said main center shelf portion and coplanar therewith; a plurality of supporting hooks extending in opposed relation from a rear edge of each supporting bracket, each said bracket being connected to said main center shelf portion along a weakened bending line portion defining an end of said main center shelf portion, the total cross-sectional area of material along said lines being reduced from the cross-sectional area of material of said adjoining center portion and said supporting brackets during the manufacture of said shelf to thereby reduce the bending strength along said bending lines; whereby said shelf is transportable in said flat sheet form until ready for installation, at which time said brackets are bendable upward by hand from the plane of the center shelf portion into a substantially right angular form to reposition and turn said supporting hooks normal to said shelf portion for installation.

2. The device described in claim 1 including perforations through said fiat metal sheet along said bending lines to cause the reduction in bending strength along said lines to thereby enable the manual bending of the brackets relative to the main center portion.

3. A knockdown and foldable shelf device comprising, a substantially flat central shelf portion of sheet material and two end supporting bracket portions integral and coplanar with the respective ends of said shelf, a weakened perforated bend line area extending transversely of said sheet material between each said bracket and said shelf, a plurality of inwardly turned mounting hooks protruding coplanar with the rear edge portion of each bracket and spaced from said weakened perforated area, and means reenforcing each of said brackets and said shelf on each side of said weakened perforated area, whereby said bracket portions may be readily bent at right angles to said shelf portion to reposition and turn said mounting hooks in lines parallel with the bends and normal with said shelf portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,270,718 Ford June 25, 1918 1,516,022 MacDonald Nov. 18, 1924 2,282,482 Koenig May 12, 1942 2,803,351 Van Wiggeren Aug. 20, 1957 

